On the waterfront: EPA introduces new policy guide to help communities combat coastal climate change

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published a new guide that was written for planners, government officials, developers and residents of the nation’s coastal and waterfront communities. The publication, called “Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities,” offers ideas for managing and protecting riverfronts, lakefronts and oceanfronts. Roughly one-half the U.S. population lives in coastal counties of some sort, making them vulnerable to flooding, rises in sea level and the changing nature of hurricanes and other tropical storms.

Guidelines cover:

• How to restore natural barriers between water and communities
• Smart development
• Revitalization, including finding new uses for historic properties
• Transportation ideas, given the rather dramatic fluctuations that might occur with the number of people in a community during a given season

Aside from the EPA, other contributors were the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the International City/County Management Association and the Rhode Island Sea Grant Program. The other major sponsor/contributor was the national Smart Growth Network, which was formed by the EPA and numerous partners (listed here).

Here’s a link to where you can find the new EPA guide.